Gatland: Age won’t be a barrier

Warren Gatland limped into London’s historic Ironmonger’s Hall yesterday morning, a wounded Lions head coach but one which the team’s chairman Gerald Davies insisted was “fit for purpose” for next summer’s trip down under.

The Kiwi certainly ticks enough boxes.

His successes with Ireland, Wasps and Wales stand first and foremost but there is also his stint as assistant to Ian McGeechan on the 2009 Lions tour to South Africa and even his experiences on the other side of the fence to the famous tourists.

Back in 1971, a rapt eight-year-old Gatland followed the progress of a famous Lions pride throughout his native land and he faced the finest Britain and Ireland had to offer 20 or so years later during his days as a player with Waikato.

All the indications are that ‘Gatts’ gets the Lions.

He spoke reverentially about them on the occasion of his official unveiling yesterday and of his intentions to ape Ian McGeechan’s template from four years ago. That means a relatively small squad of in and around 35 players, hospital visits and running rugby.

Though he was always the standout contender for the role of head coach for next year’s seven-week to Australia, he had to satisfy the Lions’ bigwigs that he was fit and able to assume the reins after the horror fall that left him with two broken feet during the summer.

The challenge for the best players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales now is to prove that they, too, are fit for purpose. Though there were few specifics mentioned yesterday, Gatland’s utterances will encourage optimism on this side of the Irish Sea.

Brian O’Driscoll, Paul O’Connell and Ronan O’Gara have all been key members on recent Lions tours and, though all three are well into their 30s now, they will have noted with some enthusiasm their old coach’s thinking when it comes to a potential tourist’s age profile.

“If you are young enough, you are good enough and if you are 35, 36 or 38 and playing well enough, you will get selected. The thing with the Lions is that you can potentially pick an older player to take on tour for three or four games and might not have to train a lot.

“Potentially (even) an older player that might be struggling through a club season or struggling through an international campaign. That may be one or two, I haven’t really got anyone in mind but age won’t be a barrier.”

O’Connell and O’Driscoll have enjoyed the added honour of captaining the last two touring parties, of course. Both, fitness aside, will be in the running again this time but the list of contenders is longer than in 2005 or 2009, with Chris Robshaw and Sam Warburton assured of cheerleaders.

“One of the things about picking a Lions captain, and particularly with there being a lot of competition at the moment, is someone who is guaranteed selection in the side,” said Gatland. “We are all aware that there have been Lions captains that may not have been the best player on tour in their position but were selected.”

Wales, given their form in recent years, will be expected to provide the largest of the four national contingents but Gatland is aware of how Graham Henry’s relationship with his Welsh players soured over selection issues when his Lions toured Australia in 2001.

“It’s reasonably well documented what happened. Graham has come out and said that certain mistakes were made. I was conscious of what happened at that time as well because I was coaching Ireland and we were disappointed with the representation that Ireland got then.

“Potentially, there may have been too many Welsh players on that tour. I’m not sure whether they all deserved that and for me as an Irish coach we played Wales in the Millennium Stadium and won 36-6, which was probably the start of the downward spiral for Graham.”

Gatland’s subsequent run-in with the IRFU and sometimes spiky relationship with the Irish in general has been equally well documented since his departure from Dublin but the former Galwegians coach is too savvy to let any such issues cloud his judgment now.

One of his most difficult calls may actually concern France where he goes today to begin the process of trying to extricate the likes of Mike Phillips and Gethin Jenkins from potential club commitments that could clash with the first week or two of the tour.

“It’s something that as a management board and as a coaching staff we are going to have to discuss because the preparation is so tight. And if it means that some players aren’t available to get on the plane, then that may potentially rule them out.”

Gatland may be wounded but he can still bite.